Rocking toy



D. R. WEBBER ROCKING TOY Feb. 8, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 31, 1963 D. R. WEBBER Feb. 8, 1966 ROCKING 130'! 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 31, 1965 United States Patent 3,233,892 ROCKING TOY Douglas R. Webber, St. Peters, South Australia, Australia, assignor to Hall & Webber Distributing Co. Limited, St. Peters, Australia Filed Jan. 31, 1963, Ser. No. 255,277 3 Claims. (Cl. 272-53.1)

This invention relates to a rocking toy of the type which will support the weight of a child and simulate the motion of an animal.

Rocking toys have been devised previously to simulate the motion of an animal, such rocking toy usually having the seat follow a path of movement which is oscillatory, reciprocating, or alternatively of flat elliptical shape with the major axis lying substantially horizontal to the ground. These motions however, only vaguely resemble the true motion of an animal, and the main object of this invention is to provide a device whereby the true motion of an animal is far more closely simulated than in the previously devised toys.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device wherein the motion of a kangaroo in flight can be closely simulated.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a simple mechanism which is inherently reliable and yet inexpensive to produce.

The invention is described hereunder in some detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the embodiment thereof, and in which- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rocking toy according to this invention,

FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically the frame members of the rocker toy, and also illustrates the path of travel of the seat,

FIG. 3 is a cut-away perspective view showing the frame members and the driving mechanism for the rocking toy, and

FIG. 4 is a section on plane 4, 4, 4 of FIG. 3.

According to this embodiment a rocking toy comprises a body 11 representing a kangaroo and a base frame 12. The body 11 is in this embodiment formed of plaster of Paris, but it can of course be formed from metal or fibre glass reinforced resin based polyester material. The body comprises two portions, the first portion being the trunk 14 which includes the tail 15 and the head 16, and the second portion being the rear legs 17 which are pivotally related to the trunk 14. The trunk 14 also carries on it a seat 20, and positioned forwardly of the seat 20 is a T-shaped handle 21 and the foot rest 22. The trunk 14 is carried on a seat frame 25 which passes downwardly through the trunk 14 and the tail 15 and terminates in a depending arm 26 at its rear end. The rear legs 17 of the animal representation are disposed around the members of a rocker arm 28, both of the members of the rocker arm 28 terminating at their front ends in depending arms 29. In this way the seat 20 is stable, since it lies within a triangle the corners of which are defined by the arms 26 and 29.

A motor 31 is mounted within the base frame 12, and it is coupled through a coupling 32 to the input shaft 33 of a worm gear reduction box 34. The output shaft 36 of the gear reduction box 34 has a crank arm 37 keyed to it, the crank arm 37 carrying on it an outstanding crank pin 38 which is journalled in the lower end of the.

depending arm 26 on the rear lower end of the seat frame 25.

Each of the members of the rocker arm 28 is pivoted at its forward end to a bracket 41, each of the brackets 41 being welded to the front wall of the base frame 12 and projecting inwardly therefrom. The two members 3,233,892 Patented Feb. 8, 1966 "ice which are comprised in the rocker arm 28 are interconnected at their rearward and upward end by a bearing member 43 which is welded to the seat frame 25, thereby providing a pivotal connection 44 between the rocker arm 28 and the seat frame 25.

A switch 47 is contained within a housing 48 of the upper end of a post 49 positioned near a rear corner of the base frame 12. If desired the switch 47 can be a coin-feed timer switch, or alternatively a manually operated switch to control the time of energising of the motor 31.

A consideration of FIG. 2 will indicate that since the pivotal connection 44 is disposed beneath the seat 20 of the toy 10, but some distance upwardly from both the crank arm 37 and the brackets 41 to which the rocker arm 28 is pivotally secured, the path of seat travel is neither oscillatory nor elliptical, but follows the shape indicated in FIG. 2, wherein the seat, commencing from a low point of its path of travel, first moves slightly rearwardly and upwardly, and then forwardly and upwardly, this occupying most of the time of its movement, the seat dropping quickly away to its starting point in a rearward and downward direction. This path of travel simulates the movement of the body of a kangaroo in full flight and is far more realistic than either the oscillatory or elliptical paths which have heretofore been proposed.

What I claim is:

1. A rocking toy comprising a base frame,

a motor mounted within the base frame,

a gear reduction unit mounted within the base frame,

coupling means between said motor and the input shaft of said gear reduction unit,

a crank arm on the output shaft of said gear reduction unit and rotatable within the base frame,

a crank pin on said crank arm,

spaced rocker arm members constituting a rocker arm,

a seat frame,

a seat on the seat frame,

characterized in the trunk, tail and head of a simulated representation of a kangaroo encasing said seat frame, but said seat frame having a rear lower end portion depending from said tail,

and the rear legs of said simulated representation of a kangaroo encasing said spaced rocker arm members, and being movable relative to said trunk, but said rocker arm members each having a front lower end portion depending from forwardly projecting portions of said rear legs, said rear lower end portion being journalled to said crank pin rearwardly of said seat, said front lower end portions being pivoted to said base frame forwardly of said seat, and the end of said rocker arm distal from said front lower end portions being pivoted to said seat frame intermediate its ends and beneath said seat.

2. A rocking toy comprising a base frame,

a motor mounted within said base frame,

a gear reduction unit mounted within said base frame,

a coupling between the motor shaft and the input shaft of said gear reduction unit,

a crank arm on the output shaft of said gear reduction unit,

an outstanding crank pin on said cnank arm,

a seat frame journalled at its rear end on said crank pin and extending forwardly and upwardly therefrom,

a seat on said seat frame,

spaced rocker arm members constituting a rocker arm, said rocker arm being pivotally connected at its rear upper end to said seat frame,

and a pair of transversely spaced pivotal connections between the front lower end of said rocker arm and said base frame,

the trunk, tail and head of a simulated representation of a kangaroo encasing said seat frame,

and the rear legs of said simulated representation of a kangaroo encasing said spaced rocker arm members,

and being movable relative tosaid trunk.

A rocking toy comprising base frame,

motor mounted within said base frame,

gear reduction unit mounted within said base frame,

coupling between the motor shaft and the input shaft of said gear reduction unit,

a crank arm keyed on the output shaft of said gear reduction unit and rotatable within the base frame,

a crank pin on said crank arm,

a seat frame extending forwardly and upwardly from said crank arm,

a depending arm on the rear end of said seat frame journalled to said crank pin,

a seat on said seat frame,

a rocker arm consisting of a pair of spaced members joined together at their rear upper ends by a pivotal connecting member on said seat frame,

a depending arm on the'front lower end of each of said spaced rocker arm members each pivotally secured to an inwardly projecting bracket on the front wall of said base frame,

the trunk, tail and head of a simulated representation of a kangaroo encasing said seat frame,

and the rear legs of said simulated representation of a kangaroo encasing said spaced rocker arm members, and being movable relative to said trunk.

References Cited by the Examiner UNI-TED STATES PATENTS 1,510,316 9/1924 Gentry 272-55 2,529,721 11/1950 Baruch 5-109 2,548,408 4/1951 Tammen 27258 X 2,830,459 4/1958 Yetter 27253.1 X

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

2. A ROCKING TOY COMPRISING A BASE FRAME, A MOTOR MOUNTED WITHIN SAID BASE FRAME, A GEAR REDUCTIN UNIT MOUNTED WITHIN SAID BASE FRAME, A COUPLING BETWEEN THE MOTOR SHAFT AND THE INPUT SHAFT OF SAID GEAR REDUCTION UNIT, A CRANK ARM ON THE OUTPUT SHAFT OF SAID GEAR REDUCTION UNIT, AN OUTSTANDING CRANK PIN ON SAID CRANK ARM, A SEAT FRAME JOURNALLED AT ITS REAR END ON SAID CRANK PIN AND EXTENDING FORWARDLY AND UPWARDLY THEREFROM, A SEAT ON SAID SEAT FRAME, SPACED ROCKER ARM MEMBERS CONSTITUTING A ROCKER ARM, SAID ROCKER ARM BEING PIVOTALLY CONNNECTED AT ITS REAR UPPER END TO SAID SEAT FRAME, AND A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED PIVOTAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE FRONT LOWER END OF SAID ROCKER ARM AND SAID BASE FRAME, THE TRUNK, TAIL AND HEAD OF A SIMULATED REPRESENTATION OF A KANGAROO ENCASING SAID SEAT FRAME, AND THE REAR LEGS OF SAID SIMULATED REPRESENTATION OF A KANGAROO ENCASING SAID SPACED ROCKER ARM MEMBERS, AND BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID TRUNK. 